The invention relates to a disposable absorbent pad for aiding in the changing of a person's diapers or the performance of some other task in which it is desirable to keep the area clean and dry. The invention is particularly useful in changing a child or infant's diapers on a public diaper changing station.
Diaper changing stations provide a convenient platform for changing a child's diapers, and are common today in public restroom facilities. Typically, the stations comprise a table that is mounted to the restroom wall. The table can be mounted such that it is pivotable from a storage position in which it is adjacent and generally parallel to the wall, and a changing position in which it extends outwardly from and generally perpendicular to the wall.
While diaper changing stations in public restrooms offer convenience, a common concern regarding their use is the accumulation of germs, bacteria and other pathogens at the stations from multiple users, and the spread of such pathogens from user to user. Diaper changing, by its very nature, is a dirty activity that will result in the presence of pathogens. In addition, such changing stations are often in public facilities that are not cleaned frequently or thoroughly. Furthermore, the user often does not have the time or materials necessary for cleaning the changing station. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a means for quickly providing a clean and safe area on which to change the diaper of a child at a public changing station.
Diaper changing pads have been used to cover the top of the changing station table to provide a relatively clean surface for changing the child's diaper. However, such pads do not have a means for securely attaching to the changing station table. In addition, such pads often do not completely cover the table as the shape and size of tables vary and the pads cannot conform therewith. Children having their diaper changed often move around unpredictably while on the changing table. As such, the unattached changing pad does not maintain its position on the table, thereby exposing parts of the contaminated table surface to contact the child. The present invention was conceived to overcome the aforementioned problems.